NLPA
Sheep & Goat Fund Helps Jump Start Research
and Merchandising Programs at
the University of TennesseeBy
Ross McSwain

Colorado
Springs, CO (August 6, 2008) – A
relatively new livestock industry endeavor in the state of Tennessee
is getting some help in marketing and research by specialists and
researchers with the University of Tennessee at Martin utilitizing
funds from the National Livestock Producers Association Sheep &
Goat Fund.

Dr. Richard Joost, Professor of Crop Science with the university’s
Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, said meat goat
production is a developing industry in Tennessee. Unlike large livestock
production states like Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and others in
the northwest, Tennessee has not had a lot of infrastructure available
to support it and those raising meat goats are fairly unorganized.

“Many of the producers have very little experience in animal
husbandry,” Joost said, thus pointing out the need for holding
training sessions to prepare county Extension agents and others
to work with producers in their particular area.

“Tennessee has the second largest number of goats in the United
States, although our numbers are 10 times less than those in Texas,”
Joost said. “Unfortunately for the development of the industry
most operations are small with the average herd size around 15 animals.”
According to a survey conducted among meat goat producers, most
do not rely on their animals as a prime source of income. “Given
the small herd sizes, they have either other farm interests or off-farm
employment.”

The NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund provided a loan for the completion
of the Livestock Merchandising Center and helping to establish and
develop the Tennessee Meat Goat and Sheep Educational and Research
Center located at Martin, Tennessee.

Joost said the initial money received from the NLPA Sheep and Goat
Fund loan was used to build a sheep and goat barn and to develop
pasture research facilities.

“The fact that we had these facilities in place allowed us
to successfully obtain a SARE research and education grant. The
grant was aimed at developing pasture systems for the production
of meat goats on pasture, reducing parasite loads and determining
the best way to provide meat goats for sustaining a processing facility.
Included in the grant was support for a survey of the Tennessee
meat goat industry to determine the structure, needs and ability
for further development,” he said. “Our intent was to
provide support for the development of a dedicated goat harvest
and processing facility in Tennessee.”

The meat goat and sheep research center typically runs 100 goats
on its 12-acre research pasture unit. To facilitate record keeping
and other factors associated with research work, the pasturage is
divided into 24 individual half-acre paddocks, or lots, to allow
researchers to evaluate different forage species and other treatments.

“Most of the money from the first sheep and goat fund grant
was used to buy fencing materials,” he said. “We used
a five-strand electric fence for the subdivisions initially, but
switched to electrified web fencing later. We also bought individual
water tubs for each paddock and ran a waterline down the alleyway
to provide water to each paddock.”

Joost said that the facility sticks with primarily crossbred meat
goats so they have not done anything at this time with any specific
breeds.

Joost said that through the university’s working relationship
with Tennessee Livestock Producers (TLP), the department learned
of the NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund. Darrell Ailshie, general manager
of TLP, who also serves on NLPA’s board of directors and the
NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund Committee, also made UT-M aware of the
availability of the fund.

“This facility has had a very positive effect in our region,”
Ailshie said. “It has been a catalyst to generate more research
on meat goats, given 4-Hers a place to buy and sell higher quality
animals, and become a central location for the sheep and goat industries
in our area.”

“The research project also includes cooperators at Tennessee
State University and has resulted in our cooperation in the development
of the Master Goat Producer Extension program,” Joost said.
“So far, there have been five training sessions to prepare
county Extension agents to work with meat goat producers in their
own areas.”

“A manual and a three-day workshop are the key points of the
program,” Joost said. Dr. An Peischel, Extension goat specialist
at Tennessee State, is the leader in that particular project.
According to Dr. Jerry Gresham, on July 1st, the university opened
a new West Tennessee Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory on the
campus which also will serve the meat goat industry. “To date
we have actually served more meat goat clients with necropsy services
than any other species.”

Also, on Thursday July 24, it was formally announced by the university
that the Livestock Merchandising Center, which hosts club lamb sales
each year, will be expanded, Gresham said.

The center is dedicated to public merchandising of all species of
livestock, but especially for sheep and goats. The facility is used
for shows, field days, livestock exhibitions, demonstrations, sales
and other outreach programs. The NLPA Sheep & Goat Fund loan
is being used along with a Rural Business Enterprise Grant from
the U.S. Department of Agriculture, private funds and university
monies.

For more information or an application please contact the National
Livestock Producers Association at (800) 237-7193. More information
and the application are also available at www.SheepandGoatFund.com
.

####

The
National Livestock Producers Association, founded in 1921, is an
organization of livestock marketing cooperatives and credit corporations
representing more than 215,000 livestock producers nationwide.